Published: September 16, 2009 09:20 pm      

‘Extract’ a comedy of a different flavor

For about 20 years now, Mike Judge has dared to find the funny in places other comedy writers dare not go, not because they’re particularly controversial or culturally dangerous, but simply because the jokes are harder to find.

It’s not that Judge’s concepts are particularly groundbreaking. He’s done stoner metalhead comedy (“Beavis and Butthead”), average family comedy (“King of the Hill”), workplace comedy (“Office Space”) and futuristic comedy (“Idiocracy”), all pretty well trod-upon ground.

What sets Judge apart is his ability to dig into the quirky awkwardness of any situation, to find the jokes that no one else can see or even think of. His movies aren’t loaded down with gags or padded with profanity to illicit extra giggles. Mike Judge comedies are slow burners, building layer upon layer of understated zaniness to an authentic and very satisfying climax.

His latest, “Extract,” is another workplace comedy, this time focusing on an extract (as in vanilla, almond and peppermint) factory somewhere in America. Joel (Jason Bateman) built the company from the ground up, and is preparing to sell it off to General Mills and retire with his wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig). But the deal of his dreams aside, Joel’s life isn’t all that great. His marriage has turned cold, he’s got a crush on the new girl (Mila Kunis), his annoying neighbor (David Koechner) won’t stop bugging him about a Rotary Club dinner, his employees are constantly bickering, and one of them has just been seriously injured in a workplace accident.

For help with his failing marriage, Joel turns to best friend Dean (Ben Affleck), a laid-back bartender who recommends, among other things, smoking pot and hiring a dim-witted gigolo (Dustin Milligan) to seduce his wife so he can have an affair guilt-free.

Oh, and something Joel doesn’t know: the new girl, Cindy, is a con-artist, and she’s talked his injured worker into hiring a high powered lawyer (Gene Simmons. Yes, that Gene Simmons) to take Joel and his company for everything he’s got.

Like “Office Space,” “Extract” follows a single man (Joel) in the midst of a crisis of faith and identity, and watches as he finds his way through the chaos of his life and his job to a new, more fulfilling existence. But make no mistake, these are two very different journeys. While “Office Space” was more about escaping a job you hate, “Extract” is about discovering why a job (and a wife) you used to love has suddenly turned stale, and figuring out a way to give it some flavor (Ha, that’s an extract joke.) once more.

Judge is in top form as usual, seamlessly blending together the wacky and the mundane to create a highly believable and very funny world that you almost believe you could be a part of. The film is shot with his trademark understated camerawork, documenting the action rather than showing off the technology, and the pacing is pitch-perfect. The best movies are always the ones that don’t feel like someone made them up, the ones that move from scene to scene with the authenticity of a factory security camera. This is one of those.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Judge has one of the best comedic casts of the year at his disposal. Bateman is the perfect straight man, capturing the middle class American male in all his sexually frustrated and adventure-starved glory. Affleck is his foil, returning to his comedy glory days with a flat out hilarious performance. Koechner, one of the most underrated character comedians alive right now, makes obnoxiousness into an art form, Coke-bottle glasses and all. Wiig and Kunis are both endearing, sexy and hilarious without ever trying to be, forming contrasting bookends to Joel’s romantic life. Gene Simmons’ brief stint in the film will make you roll on the floor, and the great J.K. Simmons (you’ve seen him in something, you just didn’t know it) tops everything off as Joel’s partner Brian with a scene-stealing performance that will make you want to start calling all of your irritating co-workers “dingle.”

There are rough moments, in the flick, don’t get me wrong. Some of the jokes don’t land as well as they could have, and where the picture is headed isn’t always clear, but maybe that was the point. Life, and work, isn’t always pitch perfect. It’s awkward, really awkward, and if you walk away from “Extract” with nothing else, you will walk away having got that joke.

Matt’s Call: It’s not nearly as funny as “Office Space,” but it’s still hilarious. You may have to drive to Conroe to see it, but it’s worth it, and if you ask me it’s better than seeing Tyler Perry in a fat suit ... again.